CORAL GABLES, FL: Cheryl Andrews Marketing Communications will extend its 16-year run as US AOR for Trinidad and Tobago after a competitive RFP process.

The review, which was the twin-island Caribbean country's Tourism Development Company's first formal RFP, involved at least five other firms, said Cheryl Andrews, president and CEO of the agency.

After the process was narrowed down to two finalists, the agency presented to a board of eight people in Trinidad and retained the account for a three-year contract with a budget in the “mid-hundred-thousands,” said Andrews. A team of four to six people will work on the account.

Cheryl Andrews will focus on increasing awareness about travel opportunities in Trinidad and Tobago by using an integrated approach, including social and traditional media and events. One of the agency's strategies is to bring the culture, music, art, and food of the islands to cities across the US, Andrews said.

The agency is also hoping to expand the Tourism Company's digital outreach efforts, such as Facebook and Twitter, in order to reach broader audiences.

“The tourist board has historically handled its Facebook page internally,” Andrews explained, “and we made a big push that we should manage it for the US, so we're hopeful that will happen.”

She added that the organization brought in global consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to “rank” each agency and ensure the review was fair.

In addition to events and social media, Cheryl Andrews will support Trinidad and Tobago's hotels and airlines and use traditional media to promote the destination to travelers in the US.